Dursleys abuse

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 117446


Your Honor. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury. It is the prosecution 
position that Petunia and Vernon Dursleys should be found guilty of 
abuse and /or neglect of their nephew Harry Potter.

According to testimony of Mr. Potter's Dursleys made him live in
the 
cupboard, dressed him in the old clothes, starved him continuously 
and even attempted to hit him. Dursleys' favourite punishment was 
locking Mr. Potter in the cupboard with little or no food at all to 
go on with.
According to Mr. Potter Dursleys also failed to protect him from 
school bullies. Moreover, their son actively participated in such 
activities.


Let me read to you a few excerpts from Mr. Potter's testimony.

"Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless 
night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at 
for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he 
had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt 
Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard 
for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't 
explain how it had grown back so quickly." - PS/SS, p.24,
paperback.


"Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later wishing he had a
watch. 
He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the
Dursleys 
were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to
the 
kitchen for some food" - PS/SS, p.29, paperback.

"Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping
Dudley's 
gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers , Dennis, 
Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the 
biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of 
them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport:
Harry 
Hunting" - PS/SS , p.31, paperback.


"Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun. As neither Dudley nor
the 
hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really
done 
magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his 
head with the soapy frying pan. Then she gave him work to do, with 
the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished.
While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry 
cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the 
flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden 
bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck." - 
CoS, paperback, p.10.


"And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs.
Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid 
a man to fit bars on Harry's window. He himself fitted a cat-flap
in 
the bedroom door, so small amounts of food could be pushed inside 
three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning 
and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.
.........
The cat-flap rattled and Aunt petunia's hand appeared, pushing a 
bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching 
with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-
cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room 
of Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables att he bottom of 
the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave 
him a look of deep disgust.
"It's no good turning your beak up at it - that's all
we've got." 
said Harry grimly.
He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay 
back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before 
the soup." - CoS, p.22, paperback.	


"He was working flat-out just to get through all their homework, 
though he made a point of sending regular food packages up to the 
cave in the mountain for Sirius; after last summer , Harry had not 
forgotten what it felt like to be continually hungry." - GoF , 
paperback, p.548.


	Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, you also heard testimony 
of several friends and acquaintances of Mr. Potter, who were clearly 
aware of the fact that his aunt and uncle were mistreating him and 
attempted to interfere on his behalf.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about
Harry" said 
Mr. Weasley, still smiling.
"Yeah," growled Moody, "About how he's treated when
he is at your 
place" - OOP, paperback, p.869.

You also heard the testimony of Albus Dumbledore, who perhaps should 
be charged as accomplice in those crimes, but for now prosecution is 
investigating whether his claim that Harry could only survive with 
Dursleys is in any way correct

"You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt
and 
uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and 
difficult years. " - OOP, paperback, p.835.


Ladies and Gentlemen, we ask you to find that Dursleys are guilty of 
the above mentioned crimes.



P.S. Strangely enough, I tried to think about any possible defense 
of Dursleys and ... well, I failed.

It is very easy for me to imagine the defense of Snape. For 
Dursleys, well, I see none. One can say that Dursleys did not ask 
for Harry to be brought to live with them. True, they did not. But 
to me, the sister does have some kind of obligation to take care of 
her orphan nephew if necessary, so this defense does not sit well 
with me, either.

I do suspect that JKR may redeem Petunia, but for now I really, 
really dislike all Dursleys. :o)